Young Girl

February 1910

Crane agrees to fund “The Slav Epic”

Mucha completed his plans for “The Slav Epic” in 1908 and 1909, and in February 1910 Charles Crane agreed to fund the project.

1910

Return to his homeland: the move to Prague

Offered a commission in 1909 to paint murals in the interior of the new Prague city hall, he decided to return to his old country, then still part of the Austrian Empire, and in 1910 moved to Prague, writing to his wife that he would be able to do something really good, not just for the art critic but for Slav souls.

1928

Gives “The Slav Epic” to the city of Prague

The cycle was completed in time for the tenth anniversary of the proclamation of the Czechoslovak Republic, and under the conditions of his contract Mucha donated it to the city of Prague; the Slav Epic was shown in Prague twice in his lifetime, in 1919 and 1928.

1936

Retrospective at the Jeu de Paume in Paris

In 1936 a major retrospective of 139 works, including three canvases from “The Slav Epic”, was held at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.

after 15 March 1939

The occupation of Prague: arrest and interrogation

On 15 March 1939 the German army paraded through Prague; Mucha’s role as a Slav nationalist and Freemason made him a prime target, and he was arrested, interrogated for several days and released, but his health was broken: he contracted pneumonia and died on 14 July.

14 July 1939

Died